


The Metamorphosis of Elisa Maza

by fadingxecho



Series: Gargoyles [1]
Category: Gargoyles (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, and i'm actually gonna post it for once, couldn't stop thinking about this, elisa gets cancer, i just... i really love them as a couple, so i decided to write it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:14:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28698999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fadingxecho/pseuds/fadingxecho
Summary: Elisa gets diagnosed with cancer and she doesn't have much time left. Then things got worse... Her relationship to Goliath gets exposed to the public with dire consequences. An unexpected ally offers a solution...
Relationships: Goliath/Elisa Maza
Series: Gargoyles [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2204535
Comments: 6
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

After the gargoyles had seemingly gained acceptance on the news, Elisa thought things would get better. She let herself dream of a time when she didn’t have to sneak around with Goliath, where they could go out in public together as a couple like they had that one Halloween.

Things changed, but not in the way that she’d hoped. 

First, a person had captured a photograph of Elisa and Goliath kissing. They had thought they were being discreet, but apparently they hadn’t been careful enough. It wasn’t long before the photograph was displayed on the news for all to see. The scandal had tremendous fallout for Elisa.

She was largely recognized around town, and not in a good way. That all but ruled out undercover work for the foreseeable future, if not forever. Strangers and coworkers alike mocked her both to her face and behind her back. One person even equated her relationship with Goliath to beastiality.

Reporters followed her, trying to get photographs of the beautiful woman in love with a monster. Whenever she wanted to spend time with Goliath she had to first lose the tails that were following her. 

There were also very uncomfortable questions from reporters. Most notably, a reporter asked if they were able to be… intimate. Elisa blushed at the question but refused to answer, not wanting to open up that line of questioning. Instead, she pushed past the reporter and continued on her way. 

Within a week of the scandal, the police chief had no choice to suspend Elisa. Just until the whole thing calmed down, the chief said, but Elisa had an inkling that that wasn’t the case. 

Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, it did.

It came as a shock to everyone.

Cancer. Pancreatic cancer to be precise. The quickest killing cancer. The doctors said she had only a few months left. 

Elisa wasn’t ready to die. She may not have had an entire future planned out as her life had recently been derailed, but she still had hopes and dreams, albeit idealistic ones. 

She wanted to be with Goliath. To share her life with him. Have… children with him. But it couldn’t be. Even before the cancer, she could spend her entire life with him but he couldn’t spend his entire life with her. He would outlive her by a long shot. And kids… they weren’t compatible like that. 

Elisa decided to spend time with the clan and her family, and make the best of the time she had left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A solution is presented from an unlikely source, but at what cost?

Elisa was lying on the couch watching tv with Cagney curled against her side. She had to lose multiple tails before meeting up with Goliath at the castle. It had taken longer than usual. Either they were getting better or her performance was being affected by stress and exhaustion. When she finally got to see Goliath she curled up against his side as he read to her, listening to the sound of his voice and the beating of his heart. Elisa had headed home when sunrise came and he turned to stone.

She was beginning to nod off when Puck materialized in front of her. Rubbing her eyes, she wondered if she was sleep deprived enough to hallucinate. When he was still there after she had blinked several times she sighed. “What do you want, Puck?” She questioned.

“To help you,” He said simply, levitating a few feet off the ground. “I’ve heard that you have a nasty case of cancer that human ‘science’ isn’t able to cure. Lucky for you, I have a solution. Or rather multiple solutions.”

A twinge of hope sprung up even though she trusted Puck about as far as she could throw him. There was undoubtedly a hidden price. From the limited knowledge she had on Puck, he wasn’t known for being selfless; he always had an agenda. In spite of this she found herself asking, “Save me how?”

“That’s for you to decide. I can lay out your options for you and give you the probability of success for each possible spell.”

“What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” He said, floating closer with a grin spread across his face. “My intentions are pure.”

“Okay,” She said reluctantly. “What are my options?” It’s not like she had anything to lose. At least, she hoped not.

~~

Elisa had a lot to think about after Puck left. 

Spells directly intended to heal cancer had a surprisingly low likelihood to succeed. The greater the likelihood of success, the greater the side effects..

The spell with the highest probability to succeed was turning her into a gargoyle. Cancer is not compatible with gargoyles, so the transformation from human to gargoyle would likely purge her of her illness. Puck, however, was only offering a one way transformation. He defended his choice by saying her cancer could come back if she returned to her original form. She wished she knew enough about magic to know if his logic tracked. 

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t considered becoming a gargoyle before, but it was much more daunting when there was a concrete option to go through with it. Permanently. Not to mention that Puck made it very clear that the transformation would be extremely painful, in contrast to her previous one which had been instantaneous. This time she would feel everything.

Still... The pain would be worth it since it meant living a long, full life. Her lifespan would match Goliath’s. They could have children together like she’d dreamt of many times before. Life would be different, yes, but it wouldn’t be bad.

There was much to get done before she went through with the transformation. She wouldn’t be able to live in her apartment anymore; it was doubtful that the landlord would welcome a gargoyle tenant and she didn’t want to leave herself vulnerable to attacks during daylight. All of her stuff would have to be moved to the castle. Cagney would have to relocate as well. The possibility of getting her job back meant that she would have to formally resign from her job as a detective. The most daunting of all the vital tasks was surely to be informing her loved ones of the drastic change she would undergo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know in canon Puck is only allowed to use magic for teaching Alexander, but for my purposes I'm choosing to ignore that. I might offer an explanation further on, or I might not.
> 
> Tbh I'm taking inspiration from the numerous Time Lady Rose fics I've read


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> college started up on Monday and I'm taking three 300 level classes so I'm a bittt stressed. it's always intimidating when the professor starts the first day by warning you how difficult the class is and how much work it is. i'm hoping this semester will go better than last semester

“He can heal you?” Goliath said, his surprised expression giving way to a smile.

“...Yes.” She answered slowly. “But here’s the thing. The only spell that offers a good chance of healing me means that I have to be turned into a gargoyle.”

The surprise he had expressed earlier was nothing compared to his current shock. “A gargoyle.” He repeated. Thousands of possibilities of the life they could live together ran through his mind before he reminded himself what this would mean for her. “Are you certain? This would mean giving up your humanity.”

Elisa put on a brave face. “Yes, I’m sure. This… This is the only way I have a chance to survive. Plus… being a gargoyle means we can spend our lives together.”

Goliath smiled once more. A life with her. He’d wanted that for a long time. He found himself with another question, “What about your job? Won’t you miss it?”

She smiled wistfully, nodding. “Yeah, but I’ll still be helping to protect the city except I’ll be going about it a bit differently.”

“When is the transformation going to take place?” He enquired. 

“I don’t have a date yet. First I want to talk to my family and my partner and let them know what’s happening.”  
~~

“You’re what?” Elisa’s mom exclaimed in shock. “How? Why?”

“Science can’t cure me and this spell is the thing that gives me the highest chance of survival,” She explained. “I’ve already lost my job- I probably won’t be able to get it back- and I can’t go out without being swarmed by reporters and strangers.”

“You don’t know that science can’t save you; there’s a chance that you’ll get better. The crowds and reporters will move on. You just have to wait it out.” Her dad protested.

Elisa shook her head slightly. “I don’t want to put all my hopes in a miracle.

“This isn’t the life I would have wanted for you, Elisa, but I’d rather have you as a gargoyle than not have you at all. I love you.” Elisa’s mom echoed his words of affection.

“I love you too,” Elisa smiled and the family embraced in what would be their last hug with their human daughter.

~~

It was Derek’s reaction she was most worried about. He hadn’t chosen to give up a normal life and become a mutate, so he might be upset that she was voluntarily giving up her humanity. As much as Derek claimed he has become fond of his new form she knew he missed being human.

Elisa entered the underground and located her brother. Taking a deep breath, she approached him with open arms. “Hey, Derek,” Elisa grinned. She was anxious over the upcoming conversation but was still happy to see her brother. It had been too long. 

“Hey, little sister,” He smiled in return and brought her into a hug. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

Elisa chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. “Sort of?” She started out. “I found a way to get cured of my cancer, but I know you won’t like it.” 

“Why would I ever be upset that you’re going to go into remission?” He cocked his head to the side in confusion.

“It’ll have… long lasting effects.” She took a steadying breath. “The spell that gives me the highest chance of survival would also turn me into a gargoyle. Permanently.”

Shock took over Derek’s face. “Elisa! There has to be another way. A scientific way. Or even another spell that has less dire side effects. Please.”

“Derek, I’m going to tell you what I told dad; I’m going to take my best shot at survival. The other spells have on average a 20% success rate. Medical treatments aren’t advanced enough to save me.” She added quietly, “at least medical treatments from sources we can trust.”

Derek looked at her, not believing a word she said. “It’s because of him, isn’t it? You’re doing this for him.”

Elisa scowled. “I’m not doing this for him. I’m doing this to survive. It just so happens that a perk of surviving means I get to be with him.”

“Whatever you say,” Derek said, waving her off. He stalked away wordlessly, tail flicking back and forth.

\---

As it turned out, the easiest family member to tell was Beth. She easily accepted Elisa’s decision, and even expressed excitement to see her sister in her new gargoyle form. Her sister even joked that this would mean she’s the only human kid left in the family, which got a chuckle out of Elisa. 

Talking to Beth calmed her down. It was refreshing to open up to someone that didn’t respond with distaste or disappointment, and it gave her hope that her family would fully accept her as a gargoyle. 

\---

“A gargoyle?” Matt echoed. “That’s possible? How’s that possible?”

Elisa chuckled. “Magic.”

Matt rolled his eyes. “No, really. How?”

“No, I’m serious! It’s actually magic. You don’t have to believe me now, I know it’s a lot to believe.”

His eyes widened. “You’re… you’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, I am. Becoming a gargoyle is my best shot at curing my cancer. But it’s a one way ride so to speak,” She explained. They lapsed into a comfortable silence.

It was Elisa who spoke first, “I’ll give you a call when the transformation is done. Just don’t be surprised by the wings, fangs, talons and tail next time you see me.” Elisa grinned at him and Matt chuckled. 

“Me? Surprised? Not a chance, Maza,” He joked.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The transformation finally happens!!

That morning she woke up early, wanting to cherish her last day in the sun. Unfortunately this meant that she would be running on only 3 hours of sleep as she had a late night spending time with the clan. As planned she would spend the day doing things that she anticipated missing once she was a gargoyle. Elisa found it difficult to fully appreciate her last day as a human because her mind was fixated on the transformation. 

Even with all her preparation, she still didn’t feel ready. Perhaps this was something that would be impossible to prepare for. Afterall, it was such an obscure scenario that it was likely impossible to gauge what a normal response would be. 

The entire clan wanted to be present for the transformation, but Goliath insisted that it would be a personal moment for them both and Elisa agreed with him. Beyond it being a private moment for the pair, Elisa didn’t want all her friends to see her in that much pain.

Elisa could feel her heart hammering in her chest when Puck recited the incantation. Then she waited. She waited long enough that she began to wonder if the spell had been a failure. Puck had offered only one spell- one chance. If this didn’t work… The alternative was unthinkable. 

Then she noticed the heat; a thin layer of sweat coated her skin. Elisa shed her jacket, socks and shoes in hopes of finding some relief from the fever but it was no use. It did nothing to relieve the burning sensation that only continued to grow in intensity. 

Elisa cried out as pain seared at her fingers and toes. She stared at her hand as her nails elongated into razor sharp talons. Talons that could cut through solid stone. Clenching her teeth, Elisa refused to cry out.

Laying down on her back, she tried to catch her breath. She tried to grow accustomed to the pain- to own it- but the pain was never the same as it was the moment before. It was constantly shifting where it hurt and the intensity that it hurt.

Goliath watched her with concern, desperately wishing that he could take her pain away, or in the very least share it with her.

She could feel a new limb painfully extend from her tailbone as wings began to sprout from her shoulder blades, tearing her t-shirt open. If she wasn’t in agony then she might’ve made an effort to cover herself, but in her current state it didn’t even occur to her. Instead she rolled onto her stomach to allow her wings and tail to not be pinned against the floor.

Digging her newly acquired talons into the floor, Elisa thrashed as the bones in her arms elongated, then broke themselves apart before mending themselves once more. The process repeated on her legs before reforming in a digitigrade structure.

It was at that point that she could no longer hold in her cries of pain. 

By the time that her ears had extended and canines had elongated into talons, her cry had contorted into a gargoyle’s growl as her eyes flared a bright red.

The pain began to subside, leaving her with a dull ache that permeated throughout her entire body, new limbs and all. 

Goliath helped Elisa sit up and held her gently against his chest. It was a tremendous effort to lift her head to look at Goliath, but she was rewarded by him gazing lovingly down at her.

“How do I look?” She smiled weakly.

“As beautiful as ever, my love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took inspiration from the transformation scene in An American Werewolf in London! If you haven't watched the movie I highly recommend it to any horror movie fans.


End file.
